Alaska trip and literacy

I've just gotten back from the land of Northern Lights, stormy seas and long train rides. I didn't see a bear, nor a caribou, nor a Dall sheep and the only eagles were either in a cage or on a trainer's arm for lecture purposes. Yet, despite what I didn't experience, I did get a sense of marvelous country, views of awesome scenery like Mt. McKinley, and the opportunity to participate in an era where history doesn't seem to have gone much past the days of the Klondike and would-be adventurers.
Skagway boasts its wooden sidewalks; Juneau has no roads except those by sea and air, and Ketchikan boasts more salmon ready to jump its fish ladders than people living there.
Juneau, however, had book stores—lots of them.
I picked up The Blue Bear by Lynn Schooler. A superb memoir of an Alaskan fishing guide and his encounters with an international photographer, Michio Hoshino. Perseverance, patience and an eye for the ultimate picture were Michio's unique qualities. No picture until its time!
Sadly, Michio's fate had been determined by the very nature he sought to capture through a lens.
Now what has this to do with literacy?
First of all, in this vast land, besides many saloons still packing customers in since the time of the gold rush, I saw many reading with a book in hand, not a Kindle. Second, the idea of aspiring to reach the ultimate goal kept on nudging me. Every teacher who is teaching or guiding a student in literacy wants the child or young adult to understand. Like nature itself, every child also has his or her own time to get to that point. Like a talented photographer, we need to be patient with the process. No literacy program has the patience of a teacher who "sees" the next step and the next step toward the realization of a young comprehending mind.

Promoting Expressive Writing

WHO WAS LOOKING ANYWAY?

Just had to try this out. I’m always looking for new ways to direct writing activities that foster kids’ interest rather than the “have-to writes.”

After reading a student’s response in my distance learning writing class this summer to a message by another, I was struck by her comments on the work she did to help students pass their writing test and then her rationale on why they didn’t. Several other teachers in her school commiserated with her as well —their students didn’t pass either.

Are we surprised when kids don’t pass after our stoic endeavors to give them the tools, even though we believe there is a better way then how we’ve been directed to do this?

If you haven’t read Thomas Newkirk’s new book Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For, I would suggest it.

Anyway, he talks about the generative role of language use in a marvelous chapter on expressive writing. Also follow the discussion on Ning to see how teachers are responding to this book, especially the chapter on Expressive Writing!

He has lots of ideas but I took to this one:

Have your students select an experience that didn’t last more than five or six minutes, but that they remember in absolute detail. The example in his book leaves me with shivers just thinking about it.

Anyway, here goes mine:

A Courtroom Experience

When we got to the jury room, my 11th grade social studies class rolled into their seats. The austerity of the room grabbed me. The seats were pews; the judge’s bench situated augustly above us all. The two tables up front were positioned for the Defense and the Prosecution. The jury box sat separate with the decision up there in the ether. The wood paneling, the stark white of the walls, the light angling in from huge windows set the scene for the trial to begin.

I felt my knee genuflect as I turned to enter the pewlike seat, not just bend but hit the floor!

My face flushed as I quickly realized what was happening—the Catholic-like atmosphere had launched me into church mode. I abruptly stopped my hand from making the sign of the cross. My face flushed; my mind whirled: how could I redeem myself, but the twitters—not the mobile kind— had already started. Fortunately at that time, cell phones had not been born. My activities would have been up on You Tube in a flash. My face burned; I felt damp all over. Embarrassment is so obvious in its manifestations!

Could I pretend I was picking something up from the floor? Some of the kids were smiling trying to keep themselves from rolling over gagging—at least those who knew church culture; others looked around perplexed. What was going on? Suddenly, the silence of the courtroom was filled with muffled sounds; gagging laughs, voluable honks, and stifled squeaks. Furtive glances streamed up and down the rows.

I shrugged my shoulders looking all around, and smiled as if to say:

“Yes, you’re right, your teacher is capable of weird behavior, let’s get on with the business at hand.”

The bailiff asked us to rise.

Carrol

Zine Conference

Attended the Portland Zine conference today. Smiling faces, everyone interacting with someone. Whole communities of zinsters have arisen—all for love of writing with little chance of reimbursement. Maybe that's why there were lots of T-shirts and graphic arts paraphernalia!What writing energy. Some zines profane, others artistic, others mundane, but something of interest could explode from any table at anytime.
The IPRC, Independent Publishing Resource Center, had a table–a good place to start. This resource is available for a sliding fee to anyone who wants to learn about publishing and developing their zine proficiencies: youth programs, workspace, a zine library and outreach are available. Justine had a copy of the recently Oregonian featured "Tell it like it Tiz," a project of the center in which zine writers interviewed elders at the Marie Smith Center—Delightful pearls of wisdom. From Miss B, B.1937 "You want to be real wherever you go." Good advice for writers to write "real." isn't it?
The youngest writer I met was Will, not sure if he was 12 or a bit more. He was busy telling me about his zines he wrote when he was 7,8,10, etc. I picked up his"The City of the Kings: A collection of poems inspired by San Francisco." I share his feelings for City Lights Bookstore: "They have lots of great books/But no bathroom." Now you know. Great pictures too!
Lots more to write about.
Before I leave for the evening, I met at one of the tables, a doctoral student seeking participants for a narrative study of teaching with zines, formally or informally, with any age group. If you want to let her know "how" you are using zines in the classroom, email karinde@tigers.lsu.edu. A resource zine for teachers based on participant responses is one of the products to come out of this study.
The Literacy Lady

The Old Curiosity Shop

Tonight, I'm waiting for the PBS show Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop." I haven't read the book completely. I am fortunate to have access to the 1st cheap edition of the book written in 1848. Believe me, it is difficult to get through the story because I'm so intrigued by the book cover, the pages, the odd numbers and letter found on the bottom of pages.
I'm an inveterate reader of fantasy. I've followed Richard and Kahlan in the numerous volumes of Goodkind's series or Rand and Elaine in Jordon's—when will the posthumous last book of the series come out? So it shouldn't be such a stretch to follow the many characters popping up chapter by chapter in Dickens. But after meeting Quilp, Kit, little Nell among the slew of others, I'm blown away at the depth of feeling one has for these characters based on their description alone. One can see, smell, touch by virtue of their clothing alone—wouldn't want to touch Quilp!
I'd love for my distance learning writing students to come up with this sense of detail in their writing, or actually in any of my virtual classes. To write "used literacy curriculum materials" versus writing "helped student CT do a comparison of a hermit crab with a Dungeness crab in their National Geographic article. As Barry Lane says "Show, don't tell."

Poetry Month

April may bring May flowers and allergies, but best of all it brings an emphasis on poetry. For some ideas check out: (All ideas —thanks to Penny Plavala, Instructional Specialist, Multnomah Educational District, Portland, OR.)

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41

This is the Poets.org web site which boasts these resources:
- 30 ways to celebrate national poetry month
- a poem a day
- new books of poetry
- a link to poetry events happening around Oregon

Under "For Educators" at the top of the page you will find:
- curriculum and lesson plans
- great poems to teach
- tips for teaching poetry

"Poem in Your Pocket Day" is April 30. The idea is simple: select a poem you love and
carry it with you to share with friends, family and co-workers.

Check out the poems ready to print in a pocket-size format:

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/409

In this age of mechanical and digital reproduction, it's easy to carry a poem, share a
poem, or start your own Poem in Your Pocket day event. Here are some ideas of how you
might get involved:
# Start a "poems for pockets" give-a-way in your school or workplace
# Post pocket-sized verses in public places
# Handwrite some lines on the back of your business cards
# Start a street team to pass out poems in your community
# Distribute bookmarks with your favorite immortal lines
# Add a poem to your email footer
# Post a poem on your blog or social networking page
# Project a poem on a wall, inside or out
# Text a poem to friends

What is one of your favorite poems:
I have several but one I have on my wall and look at frequently is one by Yeats, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree."

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the mourning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a puple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Back on

Hi everyone,
It's been a while since I've been on this, probably because I couldn't find the address. Another term begins this week. They certainly come around quickly. It looks like a big enough group to have some dialogue.
The NCTE Chronicle for March 2009 has a policy brief on 21st century literacy as well as some websites that might prove helpful to teachers in my classes.
See http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition. Its main purpose is to help get the process of advocacy on the way.
So if you know legislators either state or national, this would be a helpful brief to hand them. And even if you don't—it's not that hard to locate them.
We lament that our schools cut—whatever seems necessary to do our jobs—yet, without advocating for our own needs they aren't going to appear magically. So now is the time to text message, twitter, blog, etc. our legislators and let them know your story.
Carrol, The Literacy Lady